A Robotic Solution to Kiwifruit Harvesting in New Zealand

Meeting Kiwifruit Demand Amidst Growth

New Zealand's kiwifruit industry is thriving, but this success brings its own set of challenges, especially when it comes to finding enough workers during harvest season. The government's ambitious goals for primary exports add even more pressure on the agriculture sector.

Kiwifruit is New Zealand's top export by value, making up a big chunk of the global market. However, because kiwifruit harvesting is seasonal, the industry needs a large and reliable workforce, which can be tough to find due to the temporary nature of the work and the remote locations of many orchards.

The Need for Innovation

Traditional harvesting methods can't keep up with the growing demand for labor, leading to a heavy reliance on migrant workers and the challenges that come with it. To make sure kiwifruit is harvested on time and stays high quality, innovative solutions are a must.

That's where a new robotic kiwifruit harvester comes in. It's not just a smart way to tackle the labor shortage—it's also key to ensuring consistent fruit quality and boosting productivity.

Introducing the Robotic Kiwifruit Harvester

This high-tech robotic harvester uses cutting-edge technologies like Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) and stereo vision to efficiently spot the fruit.

The harvester employs four robot arms and a dynamic scheduler that coordinates the fruit-picking process on the fly among the four arms. The scheduler takes into account the safety of the fruit, canopy, and the arms themselves.

The robot arms come with specialized grippers that gently detach the fruit from the stems with minimal force, preventing any damage. Designed to mimic human harvesting actions, the system ensures both efficient harvesting and top-notch fruit quality.

Overcoming Challenges

Kiwifruit cultivation comes with its own set of unique challenges, thanks to the pergola-style orchards where fruit grows both above and below the leafy canopy. The robotic harvester is specially designed to navigate this tricky terrain, spotting and picking fruit even in those hard-to-reach areas.  While some fruit might be out of reach due to canopy obstructions, the system still maximizes harvesting efficiency within these limits.

Outdoor conditions add another layer of complexity, with unpredictable lighting and weather. The harvester's new detection system can identify fruit even under harsh lighting conditions, ensuring reliable performance no matter the weather.

To further enhance efficiency, the robotic harvester features newly designed grippers. These grippers are smaller to reduce interference with the canopy, minimizing fruit loss. The grippers grasp and rotate kiwifruit, ensuring a gentle and effective picking process.

Real-world Validation

Extensive real-world testing, involving over 12,000 kiwifruit, highlights the effectiveness of the robotic harvester. Impressively, the system achieves a remarkable 86.0% success rate in harvesting reachable fruit, with an average cycle time of just 2.78 seconds per fruit. These results position the robotic harvester as one of the most efficient and selective fruit harvesting systems globally, promising significant advancements for New Zealand's kiwifruit industry.

Driving Innovation for Sustainable Growth

As the demand for kiwifruit continues to soar, integrating robotic technology is a crucial step towards ensuring the sustainability and competitiveness of New Zealand's agricultural sector. With ongoing support from government initiatives and industry collaboration, the robotic kiwifruit harvester ushers in a new era of efficiency, quality, and profitability for the nation's most prized fruit industry.